By Jo Schaper
In cruising around my usual media sources this morning I found a link to a STL Today interview with Jimmy Tebeau, the former owner of Camp Zoe on Sinkin Creek. Mr. Tebeau pled guilty to a federal charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises, but denies any direct involvement with the drug trade [...]

Greer Spring, between the towns of Winona and Alton, is the 2nd largest in the state, and the one in the most pristine condition. Getting there isn’t easy, (almost a mile hike one way) and there is a reason for that:
it was preserved in 1988 after a failed attempt to turn the property into a [...]

Commentary by Jo Schaper
Recently, the Conservation Federation of Missouri and others have become concerned about House Bill 345 and Senate Bill 241, both of which are called the Uniform Wireless Communications Infrastructure Deployment Act.
These bills, (the House version is buried within many other provisions) are virtually identical, and deal with provisions intended to regulate [...]

This is the full-sized new video of images at Castor River Shut Ins by Greg “Rudi” Rudroff, who has the December-January cover photo. Enjoy!

By Jo Schaper
There are two kinds of autumn days; the brilliant, almost garish sunny days when the sunlight pouring down out of a glassy blue sky about blinds the senses. The fall trees, with leaves already thinning and turning loose, break out in a sheer riot of clashing color
We’ve had enough of those this fall. [...]

By Jo Schaper
(Photos courtesy of Ozark Cave Diving Alliance and used with permission.)
The summer drought was not good for many plants, animals and people. However, one group of people were positively ecstatic over what the prolonged lack of rain led them to accomplish.
The Ozark Cave Diving Alliance, a research and exploration oriented affiliation [...]

It’s a 348-foot long, 90-inch-high 19th-century PowerPoint slideshow.
And it’s the only one left in the world.
Twenty-five scenes along the Mississippi Valley Midwest, each 14 feet wide, were painted onto a roll of cotton muslin one hundred fifty years ago. This visual device was advanced by hand like a long scroll to [...]

By Jo Schaper
Missouri may have gotten some spotty rain, but the fire danger isn’t over. In fact, a number of fires have been set by lightning, in some mostly dry, windy storms accompanied by very little rain. As of July 9, thirteen fires, four in Wayne County, three in Oregon, and one each in Madison, [...]

Traveler Cooling Center Thought for the Day:

Usual summer temperature Meramec River: 70-80 degrees.
Usual summer temperature Current River: 65-68 degrees.
Average annual temperature for Missouri: 56-58 degrees.
Missouri cave temperature: 54-60 degrees.
Average temperature of a deep Missouri spring 52-58 degrees.
At depth, inside Maramec spring right now: 47 degrees.
Measured temperature on the Blue Spring sign: 38 degrees.

Ahhhhhhhh! Keepin’ [...]

The Williamsville Area Progress Committee is thankful to everyone who participated in our Oldyme Country Festival on Saturday, June 2! Attendance was estimated at 1,500 people by noon and the parking lot was full throughout the best part of the day after noon!
The Williamsville Area Progress Committee has worked hard for 12 years to help [...]